Arc Welder Hardener Problem

Last year I bought a Lincoln 240 amp arc welder at an auction. I dont
know how to weld but it looked like a good deal so I bought it. I got
the welder, face mask, wires, and 20 welding sticks all for $250.
Last fall my neighbor borrowed it and welded his kids swing set, and
it worked good. Last weekend I asked the neighbor to come over and
weld my fence gate hinge that someone hit with a car, and weld the
hitch on my trailer that broke off when the trailer tipped over. My
neighbor used to weld for a living, and he welded trucks and bridges,
so I thought he knew what he was doing. He welded the gate and the
trailer for me. On the trailer he added some angel iron to make the
hitch solid. It looked great when he finished. The next morning I
came outside and found the fence gate hanging, and the trailer hitch
laying on the ground with the angel iron pieces laying in a pile on
the ground. I was really pissed. He spent over 4 hours welding, sent
me to get more sticks from the hardware store, which cost me almost
$20 for 10 lbs of them, and he used half of them.
I am really mad about this. I expected this to be done right. I took
the welder to a Lincoln dealer and they said it was working fine. I
went to the hardware store and complained about those welding sticks,
and he said they have never had a complaint about them. He did tell
me that the guy probably did not use enough hardener in his welding
job, and did not let the weld dry long enough.
So, who do I blame. This guy is supposed to be a professional welder.
He is retired now, but I would have expected he knew how much hardener
to use and how long to let things dry. His swing set worked fine, but
not my stuff. I am very frustrated about this, and have been too
angry to talk to him about it.
Before I talk to him, I want to know how long a welding job should
dry, and how much hardener should be used? I never saw him using
anything besides the sticks, so I wonder if he never used any
hardener. Can anyone help.
Thanks
RDB

You have been complaining to the wrong people. Call up the electric
company. They are probably selling you electricity that is low in amps. Low
amp electricity will cause a weld to fail just as you have described.
btw hardener is only used in underwater welding

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